June/July Breath & Shadow, Vol.3, No.6, Disability Culture, Part II
Volume 3, Number 6, the new issue of Breath & Shadow, ROSC's Journal
of Literature and Disability Culture, is now online. This month's
theme is "Disability Culture, Part II."

Welcome to our biggest issue ever! This month, we continue with our
theme of disability culture and bring you the second half of my
editorial â€" along with your input, plus a short story, an essay,
and work by four poets. This is our last issue until September, so
we've put our all into it.

We start off with Jeanette Beal's "Plot Marks," which shows that
there are lines of demarcation not only between blind and nonblind,
but between before and after and inside the very core of
consciousness. Next is my editorial, which includes my own thoughts
and experiences of disability culture writing as well as those of
readers and other staff members. Michael Levy's poem, "Curious
Lives" follows, a snapshot of how two people affected by disability
enter into a partnership based on where they live. Next is Erika
Jahneke's short story, by turns funny and poignant; in "Stamped" the
protagonist is treated like a criminal -- literally -- when she
undergoes a foodstamps interview. Nancy Scott's vivid and delicious
poem, "Waterwalking" comes next, followed by Irma Jacqueline Ozer's
foray into the representations of people with epilepsy in literature
across the ages -- "Epilepsy in Literature and Its Reflection in
Society." Last, Louise Stauffer's poem, "Eraser," brings us full-
circle: the division between before and after disability and what
some people won't do to follow its arc. To read Breath & Shadow, go
to http://www.abilitymaine.org/breath, or use the link at the bottom
of this post.



Breath & Shadow New News of Note



• Thank you to our donors! The following people made contributions
to Breath & Shadow this month: Martha Gilburg, Shirley Astle, Brenda
Gaffney -- in honor of Erin Lewy, Rosemary Prescott, Molly and Don
Robinson, Louise Stauffer, Jeanette Beal, Michael Levy, Nancy Scott,
Irma Ozer, Kari Pope -- in honor of Erin Lewy, Nick Reingold and
Heidi Friedman -- in memory of Lisa Maisels, and 4 anonymous. We
really appreciate your help! Thank you.

• Woof! Meow. Neigh. . . . When Breath & Shadow returns in
September, we will publish two consecutive issues on animals. What
do we have in store?
* A poem in which a man with a physical disability muses that, from
his cat's perspective, he is a houseguest woefully lacking in grace.
* A memoir in which a blind horse teaches a teenager affected by
polio how to allow for others' limitations.
* A short story in which a blind woman who faces discrimination at a
job interview hatches a mischievous plot with her guide dog to teach
the interviewer a lesson.
* And several other works, including more stories and poems about
dogs and cats, as well as pieces on tigers, penguins, and snakes.

If you like to read about animals, now is your chance to make that
known. And nothing talks louder than financial support! Honestly and
truly, I really don't like to have to ask for donations (we do it
twice a year, but this is sort of a carry-over from last month
because we haven't been able to raise the money we need/expected for
the animal issue), but it's a reality of keeping a publication
going. Right now only about 2% of our subscribers contribute
financially. We need more of you to step up. If you have a special
animal(s) in your life, or if you have lost an animal companion, we
welcome you to make your donation in their honor or memory. We will
publish their names in the next notice. Please use the printable
form at the bottom of this post. No donation is too small! (Or too
big!) Featured writers for the animal issue include Paul Kahn,
Sharon Wachsler, Eric Gadzinski, Ina Mae Brooks, and Chris Kuell.

• Welcome Aboard! We have some new members of our editorial board,
and we are tickled pink to have them. Chris Kuell has joined our
fiction and creative nonfiction staff. You'll be seeing his work in
an upcoming issue, as well as behind the scenes.

• Please forward the contents of this email to friends, family,
and colleagues and to let them know that they can sign up for a
free, monthly subscription, by emailing breathandshadow@... and
putting "subscribe" in the subject line.

• "Please stand by. Your email is important to us. Your email will
be answered in the order in which it was received." No, no! Don't
shoot your computer! It's a joke. Sort of. If you've sent
submissions, queries, revisions, or other correspondence and haven't
heard back, it's probably because we haven't had a chance to open
the email yet. We receive hundreds of emails and our all staff are
disabled. It's not unusual, especially if several of us are having
health problems at the same time, for it to take one or two months
before you receive a reply. Please be patient with us and wait at
least two months before you email a follow-up. If your email is time-
sensitive, please write "Urgent" in the subject line, along with the
topic of your post. Thank you! And seriously, your email really is
important to us.

• Archives: Breath & Shadow archives the past three issues. So, if
you want to catch up on back issues, don't let too much time go by!
Read 'em while they're hot. ;-) Go to
www.abilitymaine.org/breath/archive.html or click on "Past Issues of
Breath & Shadow" at our homepage.

• #$@%! Our Policy on "Adult" Language, Violence, and Sex: After
discussions with members of the editorial board and with friends and
readers, I've come to some conclusions about how to handle "adult"
subject matter. The short version is, nothing's written in stone,
but mostly we'll accept it. If you want to read the whys and
wherefores, please visit
http://www.abilitymaine.org/breath/policy.htm or link to it via
Sharon's editorial this month.

• Listen to Breath & Shadow Writers Perform Their Work! Driving to
work, chopping vegetables, relaxing before bed, you can hear some of
Breath & Shadow's most popular authors read their stories, poems,
and essays. We are pleased to be able to offer a recording of the
readings that took place this summer in Somerville and Northampton,
Mass. This 2-CD or 2-cassette set contains over two hours of humor
columns, stories, and poetry by eight of Breath & Shadow's writers.
Disc one features Arden reading hir delicate and evocative poems,
Paul Kahn playfully presenting his poetry and prose, and Sharon
Wachsler displaying her trademark wit as she reads three humor
columns and one short story. On disc two you are treated to Debora
Seidman's melodic "silly and sublime" radio script, Cat Brenn-Bear's
moving dramatic monologues, Peggy Munson's award-winning and
heartbreaking poetry, Dorothy Baker's intimate verbal snapshots, and
Chaya Grossberg's powerful and inspired poetry. We are offering the
recordings as a gift to anyone who makes a donation of $10 or more
to Breath & Shadow. (For a contribution of $25 or more, we'll send
you three CD or tape sets.) To receive the CDs or tapes, please
scroll to the bottom of this email, or email breathandshadow@...
and put "CD request" in the subject line.

Click Here: Check out "Breath & Shadow Homepage"

Sharon Wachsler
Editor, Breath & Shadow
www.abilitymaine.org/breath
breathandshadow@...

_______________________________________________________

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